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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rock — music
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com